A Second Lifetime
by half agony and hope
Summary: A week after the events in Miami, Jane and Lisbon finally have time to talk about their new relationship.


**Hello fellow Mentalistas! Wasn't that finale fabulous? Sometimes it's hard to believe it really happened!**

**Since many writers far more talented than myself have already written fantastic post-eps for the finale, I decided to take a different route. This fic finds Jane and Lisbon about a week into their relationship, and they finally talk about the elephant in the room. Hopefully Jane and Lisbon have a conversation about this topic in season 7. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Mentalist. That's all Bruno Heller.**

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Lisbon tiptoed down the hall, using her phone as a source of light to guide her through the darkness. Navigating her home in the dark had never been a problem before, but it was her first night in the new house. The last thing she needed was to trip over one of the many unpacked boxes lying scattered around.

She took extra care as she padded into the living room to avoid a portion of the floorboard that she'd discovered was squeaky—Jane hardly slept enough as it was, and she didn't want to wake him. Holding her phone up to illuminate the room, she found a path free of obstacles and made her way over to the couch. She flicked the phone off and sat down, curling her legs underneath her and propping an elbow up on the back of the couch so she could stare out the window directly behind it.

Even at night, the neighborhood was idyllic. Lawns that were green but not too perfect, homes close enough for friendly neighbors but far enough away to prevent prying eyes—sometimes Lisbon wondered if Jane wasn't really psychic, since he seemed to know what she wanted before even she knew. It had hit them both suddenly when they'd arrived back from Miami: Lisbon had no place to live, and Jane's living situation was hardly better than hers. As they'd walked towards the taxis after their plane landed, Jane still limping on his bum foot, he'd suggested it.

"We need a home," he'd said, turning towards her suddenly. The weird thing was she'd been thinking along the same lines but lacked Jane's audacity and nerve to voice it aloud. Her lips had curled upwards at his statement, and she remembered answering, "Yeah." Her grin became full-out at that point. "We do."

They'd then proceeded to fill every bit of their free time with the search for the perfect place. It hadn't taken them long—Jane had been looking up homes the next day instead of doing his consulting work, and he'd been so excited he'd nearly pulled her out of Abbott's office to show her. She was glad he'd waited—though Abbott clearly was happy for the two of them and had promised to rework her transfer, she felt sorry for causing her boss extra problems.

And the place Jane had found truly was perfect. They drove out together after work to see it once, saw it again the next day to be sure, and put in an offer the day after that. Within the week, they were moved in.

Neither of them had much in terms of belongings, especially since many of Lisbon's things were en route to DC. She'd managed to get ahold of some boxes before they were shipped due to a lucky accident at the shipping company, so she had enough clothes and necessities for a while, but the house still looked empty. Lisbon couldn't wait until it felt like home.

And it already did, to a certain extent, because her home was wherever Jane was. After all, she'd moved to Texas for the man. She had no hesitations about moving in with him; they'd known each other longer than a decade and had certainly seen the best and worst of each other. There'd be no surprises with Jane. It was amazing to her how easily she'd agreed to move in with him after she'd all but dug her heels into the ground when facing the same situation with Pike. Perhaps it was easier because Jane had, over the years, become an essential part of her. Maybe that had been the problem—she'd had such a hard time deciding whether or not to live _with_ Pike because it meant she'd be living _without_ Jane. Lisbon shrugged to herself. Whatever the reason, she was happy.

They both were. She didn't think she'd ever seen Jane smile so much and so earnestly. He had a gorgeous smile, and now it was reserved for her. She wondered when the "honeymoon phase" of their relationship would end and sincerely hoped it wouldn't.

Lisbon stared across the street at an empty lot, the moon casting dark shadows across it. It was really late. She probably should get back to bed before Jane noticed—

"Hey."

Lisbon turned towards the sound of Jane's voice, searching the darkness for him. "Hey," she said back. A second later, a thump and a muffled curse came from the general direction of her boyfriend, and then a pajama-clad Jane appeared at her shoulder as she grinned at him.

"Move over," he ordered, flashing her the smile that she adored. She inched over, returning her attention to the window, and he sat down, pulling her legs over his lap as he did so. He titled his head back to rest on the window behind him and looked over at her.

A long minute passed. "I can hear you thinking," Jane murmured softly.

Lisbon turned to face him again. "Sorry," she said. "All of this…it's wonderful and beautiful and absolutely the best thing that's ever happened to me—"

"—but it's also terrifying?" Jane finished.

Lisbon chuckled. "Well, that. But also…I feel like—like I haven't had time to process any of it yet." She hurried to explain in case Jane got the wrong idea. "I mean, I wouldn't want to wait any longer than we have already, so the pace is good, but…" she trailed off, wondering how to explain.

Jane grabbed her hand then, and the feel of his wedding ring against her fingers prompted her. "We haven't had time to talk about us."

Suddenly more serious than she'd seen him in days, Jane squeezed her fingers. "What you mean is, we need to talk about us…and Angela."

Lisbon nodded, sheepish. "I just…I just want to make sure I don't…" she trailed off again. She sighed, frustrated. "The last thing I want to do is try to replace her, Jane. But I also don't want to ignore her either, since she is an important part of your life—and therefore she's an important part of mine, too."

Jane nodded, his curls gleaming golden in the light from the moon. He was quiet for a while, and Lisbon could see him processing how best to answer. "Sorry," she said lamely. "I'll save the really deep questions for the daylight hours from now on."

"No, no, I'm glad you brought it up," Jane said. He continued talking as he rearranged them on the couch so that she was leaned up against him, her back to his chest, and his arms enclosed her. "Actually, it's something I've wanted to talk to you about."

She held his hands in both of hers, fiddling with the ring as he spoke. "Do you know much about Eastern religions?" he asked.

Lisbon chuckled. "Sorry to disappoint, Jane, but not all of us are polymaths like you."

"Come now, Lisbon, you're brilliant—you know you are. I just have, well, I guess a 'different' sort of intelligence would best describe it."

She snorted, and he continued. "There is a point to this, I swear! Well, some Eastern cultures believe in reincarnation. They believe that when we die, we come back as someone or something else. Each new life we live is different; we befriend new people, fall in love with someone new…"

Lisbon looked over at Jane, thinking she knew where he was going with this. "I like to think that I've lived the equivalent of two lifetimes in this life," Jane finished quietly.

"Jane, aren't you an atheist?"

"Meh," Jane responded with a dismissive wave of his hand. "The analogy's not perfect. Anyway, my marriage with Angela was my first lifetime. And the day I met you was the start of my second. Both lifetimes are essential to who I am, but I can only live one at a time."

"I'm not sure your understanding of Eastern Religions is entirely accurate, Jane."

He rolled his eyes and hugged her to him tightly, knowing she was joking with him. "Hush, woman, I'm trying to tell you something important here." His hands moved suddenly, and she realized with a start that he was removing his ring. Jane gave the ring to Lisbon, who held it between her hands. Jane covered hers with his own.

"Does that make sense, Teresa?" he asked softly.

Lisbon nodded, wishing the moisture in her eyes would go away. "Good," said Jane, sounding sleepy. "Somehow that sounded a heck of lot better out loud than it did in my head."

Lisbon elbowed him, and they both laughed. "Come to bed?" Jane asked. They stood up together and made their way across the living room, Lisbon still holding onto the ring. As they walked away from the window, the light faded, and Jane disappeared from view again. A second passed, then Jane's foot connected with another box.

He swore again, then said, "Next time you get up at 2:30 in the morning, Lisbon, do me a favor and turn on the light."

Lisbon flicked on her phone to guide them down the hallway. Seeing Jane's outstretched hand, she took it.

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**Thanks for reading! **

**First of all, I'm from a very Western culture, so let me know if I've written something wrong or if anything's offensive (I did try to do some research beforehand). Lisbon's comment, "I'm not sure your understanding of Eastern Religions is entirely accurate, Jane" is my way of admitting that info is accurate to the best of my limited knowledge.**

**I'm glad the ring and Angela weren't touched on in the finale-it would have been too much for Jane, and too soon. But I hope they do talk about it next season!**

**Did you catch the Mulder quote, any of you X-Philes out there?**

**Until next time...**


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